1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are conventionally some image forming apparatuses, such as copying machines, provided with a sheet processing apparatus that successively takes a sheet on which an image is formed into the apparatus to perform a sheet process, such as a binding process, to the sheet, in order to reduce a labor taken for the binding process to the sheet having the image formed thereon, for example. In the image forming apparatus described above, the sheet processing apparatus is arranged at the side of the main body of the image forming apparatus so as to convey the sheet, which is to be processed, from a discharge roller, which is mounted to the main body of the image forming apparatus, to the sheet processing apparatus. However, when the sheet processing apparatus is arranged at the side of the main body of the image forming apparatus, the installation area of the entire image forming apparatus is increased. Further, a support unit, such as a caster, and a rigid frame that independently supports the sheet processing apparatus, and a coupling device for coupling the sheet processing apparatus to the main body of the image forming apparatus have to be provided.
There has been proposed an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet processing apparatus thereon in order to reduce the installation area of the image forming apparatus (refer to U.S. Patent No. 6,671,491). In an image forming apparatus having an image reading apparatus provided at the upper portion thereof, there has been proposed one in which a sheet processing apparatus is arranged to an internal discharge section in the apparatus that is provided in the space between the image reading apparatus and the image forming apparatus. There has also been proposed a sheet processing apparatus having a reverse path formed thereon for duplex print (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-128355).
In the image forming apparatus having the sheet processing apparatus arranged in the internal discharge section in the main body of the image forming apparatus, a sheet may be jammed somewhere between the discharge roller of the main body of the image forming apparatus and the sheet processing apparatus. When the jamming occurs, it is considered that a door of the image forming apparatus is opened to open a sheet conveyance path so as to remove the jammed sheet. The sheet processing apparatus having a binding function for performing a binding process staples a sheet bundle with the use of staples. When the staples are replenished, it is also considered that the door of the main body of the image forming apparatus is opened to open the upstream side of the sheet processing apparatus, as in the case of removing the jammed sheet, and then, the staples are replenished.
When the door is at the rear side of the image forming apparatus main body, for example, a user has to perform the jam recovery at the rear of the apparatus main body, which provides poor usability. A desktop image forming apparatus often employs a vertical-feed configuration that is advantageous for reducing the number of the components in order to reduce cost. The vertical-feed configuration means the configuration in which the sheet conveying direction is vertical as viewed from the front of the apparatus. The apparatus with the vertical-feed configuration is mainly configured such that the door at the rear of the main body of the apparatus is opened, when the jamming occurs in the conveyance path from a fixing unit to a discharge unit. In the image forming apparatus provided with the sheet processing apparatus and having the vertical-feed configuration, when the conveyance of the sheet is stopped due to the jamming, the door at the rear of the apparatus is opened to perform a jam recovery of removing the stopped sheet. Therefore, the jam recovery is troublesome. Even when the staples are exchanged or loaded to the sheet processing apparatus having the stapling function, a user has to open the door at the rear of the main body, which is troublesome, and which provides poor usability. Also, when the apparatus is not configured to have the vertical-feed configuration, but is configured such that the door is provided at the side of the main body of the apparatus, the user has to operate from the side, which is again inconvenient for the user.